14-year-old Texas student suffers emotional distress after AI-generated nude images spread on school WiFi

Summary

Teenagers and teachers have become victims of fake AI-generated nude images, with perpetrators facing minimal consequences. In October 2022, 14-year-old Elliston Berry discovered AI-generated nudes of herself circulating at her high school in Fort Worth, Texas, causing her severe emotional distress. The perpetrator, a student who had previously given Berry a Bible in class, used school WiFi to post the images and threatened to "ruin the girls." He was caught five days later but received only a brief in-school suspension due to a lack of applicable laws. The AI-generated images remained online for nine months, and Berry’s family is now advocating for the Take It Down Act, which passed in Congress in April 2024. Another victim, 20-year-old Julianna Sabonis from Mankato, Minnesota, received AI-generated nudes of herself posted online and later had them sent to her mother by the perpetrator, but she was able to identify him due to existing state-level legislation in Minnesota.